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Thursday, 14 June 2007

Pork Floss Loaf

A couple of weeks ago, we planned to have breakfast at Toastbox...a local cafe chain that offers toasts with pork floss toppings and serves really good kopitiam-style coffee. However, we were too lazy and woke up way too late. To save myself from the cravings for pork floss toasts, I bought a loaf of bread from Toastbox that day and tried to replicate it the following morning.

Here's my replica of the pork floss toast. I lightly toasted the bread, added some butter, and cut the slice into 9 squares. Then topped with pork floss and drizzled some condensed milk over. It tasted not bad, I really liked the bread...very soft and came with a nice milky fragrance.

I also tried making the milo toast. Actually I have not tasted milo toast from Toastbox before...so I wasn't sure whether this came close to the real thing?

It was almost 3 weeks ago since I last baked a loaf of bread. I simply couldn't resist the urge to bake a loaf yesterday. I used a Pullman bread recipe to bake a plain loaf with pork floss filling.

The bread tasted very good when fresh from the oven, the texture was rather soft and light. The crumb was very airy as well. However, when left overnight, without toasting or warming it, I find the bread a little dense and slightly chewy. So it's advisable to toast the bread before serving, if it is left overnight. I will certainly add more pork floss next time, as I find the filling a little too thin.

Place all ingredients in the bread pan of the bread machine, according to the sequence stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine. Select the Dough function to knead and proof the dough (about 1hr 30mins). You may also choose to let the machine do the kneading and remove the dough to proof at room temperature.

Take out the dough and punch out the gas produced. Shape dough into a big ball. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle (about 15in by 8in) on a lightly floured work surface. Cover the dough with pork floss. Roll up like a swiss-roll and seal the edges tightly.

Place dough, seam side down in loaf pan. Tuck in the sides underneath to give a neater look. Cover with a damp cloth and let proof for another 30mins or until the dough rise to about 80% of the loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 180 degC and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven and unmould immediately. Let the loaf cool off before slicing.

Hi Mandy, will you be able to get porkfloss over at your place? I once stayed in LA area for about 3 mths, and I can understand the "frustrations"...when you crave for some food but couldn't even get the ingredients!

Hi Rita, it is really not advisable to dump in the pork floss...I guess the pork floss will be 'infused' with the dough, and you will probably not be able to taste is from the finished loaf and this is speaking with experience! I baked a so-called oreo loaf two days ago, I simply dump in crushed oreos into the bread machine and it became a chocolate loaf, super dark and ugly, lolz! and it didnt taste anything close to oreo! ;p

Your pork floss loaf really looks perfect and so beautiful!I did the same loaf as yours but the outcome was that there was an empty pocket between the top most layer and the pork floss. Did twice, still don't get a perfectly rolled one like yours:(

Hi Ailing, I had the same "tunnel effect" for my "Matcha Red Bean Loaf"! I realised later it was due to the trapped air bubbles in the dough. After the 1st proof, do knock down the dough to release all the air inside. During shaping, while rolling out the dough, try to press out any trapped air bubbles, sometimes I even need to pierce the dough membrane so as to 'burst' the bubble. After spreading the dough with the pork floss (or any other fillings) remember to roll it up as tight as possible. Hope this helps :)

Hi Happy Homebaker, Thanks for this awesome recipe. I really enjoyed making it. I'll make this bread again and again. Although I did have the tunnel effect too, I'm still very satisfied. I wrote a post on my blog about it with the recipe. I hope you're ok with it. :)http://x3baking.blogspot.com/2010/07/pork-floss-loaf.htmlEsther

Hi Happy Homebaker. I tried the recipe the other night and I have to say it was very good it was a little on the heavy side but I guess I can reduce the flour. I just want to let you know that your recipes are very helpful and they cater to home baking which is great. One quick question, I want to try the steam bun but I don't think we have the Pau Flour here in New York. can I substitute it with regular flour instead? Thanks again